Rod Dreher has an amazing article called “We are normalizing Trump. Again.” I’d link to it but it’s on Substack.
I don’t like Trump. If you’re going to complain about Trump, I will probably agree with a lot of what you say. Not all, but a lot.
The disconnect is that you may think Trump is uniquely evil, and I think Biden and the Democrats have him beat by a country mile. Biden is a traitor and the Democrats are insane.
For me, we’re facing a choice between a shit sandwich and a bullet to the head. I don’t want the shit sandwich, but it’s better than the alternative.
Among the points Dreher makes about “normal” …
Remember the trans dude fondling his own breasts at the White House?
Remember the Biden official who got off on stealing women’s luggage?
Have you noticed the behavior of his pride and joy, Hunter?
Have you noticed that recruitment for the Armed Services has fallen off a cliff because of the cross-dressing, trans-affirming BS from this White House?
Have you seen the empty retail shelves, and the prices of ordinary goods?
Are you ready for the Biden black outs, when we get the downsteam effects of his fantasy energy policy?
Have you seen the U.S. border?
Have you noticed that Biden doesn’t know where he is or what he’s doing?
Are you concerned with the rise of Nazi, anti-semitic beliefs in academia and the public?
Trump is not my cup of tea, but Biden is a cup of cyanide.
QUOTE: Remember the trans dude fondling his own breasts at the White House? Remember the Biden official who got off on stealing women’s luggage?
Remember the Trump administration was riddled with “swampy” ethics issues (e.g., 22 officials investigated for nearly 100 violations, multiple staff resignation due to scandals, Hatch Act violations, Emoluments Clause violations, email-handling violations, excessive lies, etc.). Odd occurrences for a leader that pledged to “drain the swamp”.
QUOTE: Have you seen the empty retail shelves, and the prices of ordinary goods?
Remember Government payments to farmers surged to historic levels under Trump as the Agriculture Department floods the industry with cash to stem the financial losses from Trump’s tariff fights and the coronavirus pandemic.
QUOTE: Have you seen the U.S. border?
For all the demagoguery by Republicans and Trump, you think their record of managing this issue would be better than Dems. Record levels of migrant crossings during the Trump administration. No wall was built (despite illegal schemes to accomplish that…thanks Steve Bannon). Wasn’t Mexico suppose to pay for it??? Interestingly, Trump’s organization has been found to employ undocumented immigrants.
QUOTE: Have you noticed that Biden doesn’t know where he is or what he’s doing?
Have you noticed Trump can’t tell the difference Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi? Oh, and then there’s this… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlaSzgXHFcQ
QUOTE: Are you concerned with the rise of Nazi, anti-semitic beliefs in academia and the public?
Are you concerned with the “very fine people” that brandished torches and chanted anti-Semitic and Nazi slogans, including “blood and soil” (an English rendering of the Nazi “blut und boden”) and “Jews will not replace us”. The attendees proudly displayed giant swastikas and wore shirts emblazoned with quotes from Adolf Hitler. One banner read, “Jews are Satan’s children.” How about a riot at the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, where the “patriots” threatened to hang the US Vice President because they disagreed with the outcomes of democratic election? Oh, Trump’s hand-picked FBI had this to say…“The top threat we face from domestic violent extremists stems from those we identify as racially/ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVE). RMVEs were the primary source of ideologically motivated lethal incidents and violence in 2018 and 2019 and have been considered the most lethal of all domestic extremists since 2001.
QUOTE: Trump is not my cup of tea, but Biden is a cup of cyanide.
Hmm…that must be some cup to tea given the following is Trump’s rap sheet…
*Found liable in a US Court of Law as a sexual abuser.
*Indicted 4 times with 91 counts.
*Shared classified intelligence with Russian representatives.
*Attempted to coerce the Georgia Secretary of State to illegally change the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election.
*Quoted in reference to US’ adversary, China…”We have a tremendous relationship with China which is a very positive thing.”; “I know President Xi and we get along very well…they are trying very, very hard. ” (in response to the question… “how confident are you that China is being 100% honest with us when it comes to this scary virus?”).
*Ordered the withdrawal from Syria abandoning the Kurds (US allies), leaving them at the mercy of a not so gracious political opponent and possibility giving room for the influence of ISIS, Iran and Russia to grow.
*During the Trump Administration – US global image declined—the world “literally” laugh at a US president during a UN presentation.
*Trump’s presentation was so profane that the Boy Scouts organization sent out a formal apology after his speech at an annual Jamboree.
*Ordered active-duty military forces to the Southwest border to fulfill a political agenda (despite the law barring the use of troops for domestic law enforcement).
*On multiple occasions, while President, attempted to use his influence to disrupt/harm businesses he disagreed with (e.g., NFL, Nike, CNN, Washington Post).
*Initiated the longest government shut-down in US history–to the point it put air traffic safety at risk and caused damage to the US economy.
*The national debt increased by 3 trillion under Trump’s leadership.
* Promised the American people an “affordable” healthcare replacement for ACA and everyone would have access. It still hasn’t happened.
*Featured a relative of January 6 rioter, decrying how law enforcement treated the now convicted criminal. This convict is an alleged Nazi supporter that had uttered rhetoric so toxic that a Trump-appointed judge felt compelled to hold him in prison until his trial for fear he was a danger to the community.
And the list goes on!
QUOTE: Have you seen the U.S. border?
Wait! Let me see if I get this. The Republicans say there’s a border crisis and action needs to be taken immediately. Yet, when a bipartisan effort within Congress “actually” cranks out a bill (which hasn’t happened in years) that could incrementally address some issues (and contains things that Republicans “said” they wanted for a long time), it appears the Republicans don’t want to support it. In fact, the new Republican Speaker of the House said…“If this bill reaches the House, it will be dead on arrival.” Interestingly, that was said with him actually reading the bill.
So, they scare people into believing there’s an “invasion” but they don’t want to address it until after the election??? Huh??? Interestingly, a “Take Our Border Back” convoy recently set off from Virginia for Eagle Pass, Texas. While the convoy’s organizers said the rallies aimed to “shed light on the obvious dangers posed by wide open” borders, one member of the convoy admitted that the reality of what she saw at the border was a far cry from the “invasion” touted by some officials. Imagine that???
For the record, both Dems and Repubs have FAILED on this issue. Yet, the latest Republican shenanigans only reinforces what I’ve believed for a long time. It’s not about solving the problem…it’s about using it for political leverage.
So yes, I’ve seen the US border. It’s the same one that Trump and Republicans failed to secure when they were in power…despite MANY warnings about an invasion. Wait…wasn’t that several years ago? Shouldn’t they have conquered the US by now???
CORRECTION: In fact, the new Republican Speaker of the House said…“If this bill reaches the House, it will be dead on arrival.” Interestingly, that was said without him actually reading the bill.
Let’s get in the “way back machine”, stop in 2020 and review the predictions made by Republicans about “Biden’s America”.
*Defunded police
*Removal of 911 dispatchers from police control
*Rampant crime – criminals breaking into elderly citizens homes and attacking them
*Rioting, looting and cities on fire
*Significant delays or no one available when contacting 911
*Crime will rise with Biden
*Reoccurring ad that stated You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America”
Fast forwarding to 2024 how accurate were those ominous predictions? None of them happened. At best we could say they were demagoguery tactics and at worst…lies (no surprise when it comes to Trump, et. al.) According to FBI data in Q3 2023, violent crime dropped 8%, while property crime fell 6.3% to what would be its lowest level since 1961. Murder plummeted in the United States in 2023 at one of the fastest rates of decline ever recorded and every category of major crime except auto theft declined. Hmm…so we wouldn’t be safe in Biden’s America??? What about jobs being added? What about bi-partisan bills being passed by Congress…infrastructure bill, lower prescription prices???
Ironically, while Trump was Making America Great Again (MAGA)….
*A pandemic killed tens of thousands of Americans…Trump’s administration falsely informed Americans there wouldn’t be a second wave, wrongly stated it would be gone with the advent of warm weather, highlighted the work of a witch doctor as a potential remedy , speculated while on national TV about injecting disinfectant into people and touted working with China in efforts to control the virus (at least until it was no longer politically expedient)
*Numerous riots, looting, cities burning across the country
*MAGA supporters illegally invaded the Capitol Building–threatening to hang the Vice President and attacking police in the process
*Put citizens lives at risk by falsely claiming the path of a deadly hurricane (Sharpie-gate)
*Administration riddled with “swampy” (e.g., 22 officials investigated for nearly 100 violations, multiple staff resignation due to scandals)
*The only president since Hoover to end his presidency with less jobs than when he started. The economy lost 2.9 million jobs. The unemployment rate increased by 1.6 percentage points to 6.3%.
*The number of people lacking health insurance rose by 3 million. No replacement for Obamacare (actually they wanted to end it during the middle of the pandemic when it was needed most)
*On the world stage took the word of a US adversary over his own intelligence department, attempted to coerce a US ally for dirt on his political opponent and gave classified data to Russians (what was that about Biden being a traitor???)
*Coal production declined 26.5%, and coal-mining jobs dropped by 16.7%.
*The murder rate in his last year rose to the highest level since 1997.
*The international trade deficit Trump promised to reduce went up. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services in 2020 was the highest since 2008 and increased 40.5% from 2016.
Hmm…if Biden is cyanide, whatever is in Trump’s cup of tea must be considerable worse.